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In 1664, Charles II of England granted his brother, James, Duke of York, the land between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers. James presented the land to two favorites: John, Lord Berkeley and Sir George Carteret. He named the new land Nova Caesarea. Today the boundaries of Nova Caesarea (New Jersey) are exactly as set about in the original Duke of York's deed.
Southern New Jersey was the home of the LENI-LENAPE Indians. It was explored in the 16th century by Dutch, French, Swedish, Finnish and Portuguese sea captains. The first survey was made by Henry Hudson in 1609. Cornelius Jacobsun Mey sailed into Little Egg Harbor in 1614 and later charted the coastline.
The first settlement in Atlantic County was in Somers Point. In 1693, John Somers, a member of the Quaker Society of Friends, was appointed by the Cape May County Court as supervisor of roads and constable of Great Egg Harbor. The following year, Egg Harbor was made a part of the Old Gloucester County. At that same time, a ferry was established from Beesley's Point to Somers Point. In 1695, John Somers purchased from Thomas Budd, 3000 acres of land around Somers Point. Also purchasing land from Mr. Budd were John Clement, Jonathan Adams, Paul Scull, Jonas Balentine and Peter Conover.
Daniel Leeds, our first surveyor, made extensive surveys of Egg Harbor in 1698, thus founding Leeds Point. A descendant of his, Jeremiah Leeds became the first permanent resident of ABSECON ISLAND and later acquired title to nearly all of Atlantic City. His son, Chalkley Leeds, became the first mayor of Atlantic City. George May settled in Mays Landing in the early eighteenth century. Thus, Mays Landing was named for George May not Cornelius Jacobsun Mey.
Master Commandant RICHARD SOMERS became a naval hero and is buried near the walls of Tripoli. A member of the well-known Lake family of inventors from Pleasantville, U.S. engineer SIMON LAKE invented the first submarine.
Many of the early settlers were whale men. Shipyards, mills, iron furnaces and brick yards were all active in the region. SHIP BUILDING became a major industry. Prior to the Revolutionary War and War of 1812, numerous ships reached our beaches. Southern New Jersey was developing a cultural and social life all its own.
As early New Jersey settlements grew and developed, each had their own unique identities. These settlements included: BRIGANTINE , HAMMONTON , PLEASANTVILLE AND EGG HARBOR CITY. In February of 1837, Atlantic County (formerly known as Egg Harbor) was carved from Gloucester County with boundaries that have remained substantially the same to this date. The county is bounded on the north by the Mullica River; on the south by the Great Egg Harbor Bay and the Tuckahoe River; on the west by Camden and Gloucester Counties; and on the east by the Atlantic Ocean.
The County Seat was established in Mays Landing in 1837 and a courthouse built there in 1838 where it remains in use today. The first Board of Freeholders was established in 1837 in Mays Landing with representatives from four townships: Galloway, Hamilton, Egg Harbor and Weymouth. Mrs. Rebecca Estell Winston was the first woman to serve as mayor in Atlantic County and was mayor of Estell Manor in 1925. As townships and municipalities grew, the board grew as well. In 1967, however, the State Legislature changed the size to a seven-person-at-large County Board until 1975 when a new charter came into effect.
The County governmental form changed from Optional County Charter Law to the Executive Form in 1974. The Administrative Code was adopted in May of 1976 and amended in 1992. Today, Atlantic County land area covers 561.01 square miles and is incorporated into 23 municipalities. Estimated county population in the 1994 census was 232,231. The roots of local government in Atlantic County are long-standing. While community sizes and government forms vary, the commitment to citizen-service is well-developed and still a matter of pride.
The first settlement in Atlantic County was in Somers Point. In 1693, John Somers, a member of the Quaker Society of Friends, was appointed by the Cape May County Court as supervisor of roads and constable of Great Egg Harbor. The following year, Egg Harbor was made a part of the Old Gloucester County. At that same time, a ferry was established from Beesley's Point to Somers Point. In 1695, John Somers purchased from Thomas Budd, 3000 acres of land around Somers Point. Also purchasing land from Mr. Budd were John Clement, Jonathan Adams, Paul Scull, Jonas Balentine and Peter Conover.
Richard Somers was born in the late 1770's on Somers Point. As a youth, he was remarkable for his sense of purpose. In 1798, he received his warrant as a midshipman in the U.S. Navy. It is during this period when service in the Navy was distinguished by famous frigates under John Adams administration giving the country a sense of naval power.
In 1803 when Commodore Preble's squadron was dispatched to Tripoli in a war with the Barbary powers, Somers first commanded the "Nautilus". By September of 1804, he was commanding the "Intrepid" during the blockade operations off the harbor of Tripoli. American reinforcements had been expected for weeks. A plan was devised for destroying the enemy's flotilla as it lay anchored in the harbor. The plan was to fit the ketch "Intrepid" with a hundred barrels of gunpowder, 150 shells and iron. The crew was intended to sail into the harbor, ignite the combustibles and leave the ship in rowboats. Every man on the mission was a volunteer.
After dark, the ketch "Intrepid" passed into the entrance of the harbor of Tripoli where three Tripolitan gunboats were at anchor. While the details are unclear, a tremendous explosion of gunpowder exploded and the "Intrepid" burst into flame sinking many pirate ships in the harbor. Somers and his men had sacrificed their lives and were buried on the beach near the walls of Tripoli.
The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis has a monument in honor of Richard Somers
and his men. In memory of his sacrifice, the U.S. Navy has since had a ship on
line named for Master Commandant Richard Somers. A family memorial in Somers
Point reads: "he perished in his 25th year, distinguished for his energy,
his courage and manly sense of honor."
To understand the legend of the Jersey Devil, you must first understand his birthplace. It is a remote region extending 1700 square miles across southeastern New Jersey. It is actually a giant aquifer with dense stands of white cedar. Inside, the air is calm, still and cool - the shadows heavy. The cedar stands throughout the swamp stain the streams red with tannen. One area of stunted trees is called the Pygmy Forest. While many consider it a barren wilderness, twenty-seven varieties of orchids grow there. In the early days, travel was difficult for the cedar swamps were great obstacles. Some roads are old Indian trails. Others are old stagecoach roads. Some roads are paved, others are sandy. Roads lead to places named Hog Wallow, Double Trouble, Sooy Place and Mary Ann Furnace. These names date back to colonial times when settlers first came to New Jersey. The birthplace of the Jersey Devil is called the Pine Barrens.
Many of the area residents descended from early farmers trying to make a small living from the sandy soil. Some may have been Hessians who escaped to the Barrens during the Revolutionary War and stayed rather than return to Europe. During that war, the Pine Barrens occasionally became a haven for those reputed to be Tories still loyal to England. Lenape Indians also inhabited the region. And then there were the pirates.
At the time of the American Revolution, the wide salt marshland located between the Pine Barrens and the Atlantic Ocean was part of old Gloucester County. That area today is part of Atlantic County. The earliest settlers mined the white cedar, made tar and pitch. Furnaces and forges worked day and night turning out munitions for the Americans in the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the war with the Barbary pirates. But by 1850, New Jersey's finite supply of bog iron had played out. For a short while, resources in the Pines made the glass and paper industries profitable. As material became scarce, people moved from the towns and villages and sought refuge in the forests. They tried to eke out a living with seasonal work by picking blueberries or cranberries. But life was hard for those who remained.
THE DEVIL'S ORIGIN
One of the most famous stories tells of a place called Leeds Point. On a stormy night in 1735, a Quaker woman gave birth to a child during a thunderstorm. The room flickered with candlelight. The wind howled. Some believed her to be a sorceress. The impoverished woman, known as Mother Leeds, was believed to have many other children – as many as twelve. Some say the child was born deformed. Some say she cursed the child because of her dire straits. Other accounts say the child was born normal and took
on odd characteristics later. Characteristics such as an elongated body, winged shoulders, a large horse-like head, cloven feet and a thick tail. According to legend, the child was confined until it made its escape either out the cellar door or up the chimney. The Jersey Devil had been born.
Another story tells of a young Leeds Point girl who had fallen in love with a British soldier. The British had come to the region because the iron furnaces at Batsto were supplying the privateers. In 1778, the British engaged the Americans at the Battle of Chestnut Neck. The townsfolk opposed the match, calling her liaison an act of treason. They cursed the girl. According to legend, when she later gave birth to a child – it became known as the Leeds Devil.
A variation on the tale tells of a young woman who encounters a passing gypsy begging for food. She was frightened and refused. The gypsy cursed her for her refusal. Years later in 1850, with the curse forgotten, when the girl gave birth to her first child – a male – he became a devil and fled into the woods.
Another famous version: In October of 1830, a resident of Vienna, New Jersey, a Mr. John Vliet was entertaining his children with a mask he had made. A mask of a monstrous face. It became a yearly tradition and was adopted by the local townsmen. Its popularity grew and was repeated late in October as parents and children alike put on scary faces and costumes.
Tales of the Devil's exploits abound. He has taken on a variety of forms. Because of the Devil: crops have failed, cows stopped giving milk and droughts ensued. He blew the tops off trees and boiled streams. He was blamed for the loss of all livestock. Some believed the Devil appeared every seven years. Others said he foreshadowed disaster and foretold of war.
Prominent citizens or government officials were among many who had witnessed sightings of the creature. They included businessmen, postal officials, and policemen who had seen or heard the creature and saw his tracks left in the snow. This marks the beginning of the change from local folklore to the Devil's presence in regional culture.
Commodore Stephen Decatur was an American naval hero in the early nineteenth century. According to legend, he visited the Hanover Mill Works to inspect his cannonballs being forged. While there, he visited a firing range and sighted a flying creature flapping its wings. He fired a cannonball directly upon it. It had no effect and the creature flew away.
Joseph Bonaparte, the brother of Napoleon Bonaparte and former King of Spain, was reported to have seen the Devil. The incident took place in Bordentown, New Jersey while he was game hunting in the nearby woods.
The infamous Captain Kidd is reputed to have buried treasure in Barnegat Bay. Legend has it he beheaded one of his men to guard forever his buried treasure. Accounts claim the headless pirate and the Jersey Devil became friends and were seen in the evenings walking along the Atlantic and in nearby marshlands.
In Clayton, New Jersey, the Devil was chased by a posse to the edge of a wooded area. The Devil fled into the wood. The posse, afraid to pursue him, halted and declared " if you're the Devil, rattle your chains."
The Devil's taste varies. He was seen cavorting at sea with a mermaid in 1870. And he is reputed to have had a ham and egg breakfast with a Republican – Judge French. But the Devil is not known to have specific political leanings.
The Devil's sightings have covered great geographic distances. – from Bridgeton to Haddonfield in 1859; to the New York border in 1899; and from Gloucester City to Trenton in 1909. Until this time, tales of the Devil were passed by word-of-mouth. However, published police and newspaper accounts during a famous week in January of 1909 took the story of the Devil from folk belief to authentic folk legend. Thirty different sightings in a one-week period told of the Devil sailing across the Delaware River to Maryland, Pennsylvania and Delaware. Newspaper articles created a near panic in the region.
After the 1909 appearances, the scientific community was asked for possible explanations. Reportedly, science professors from Philadelphia and experts from the Smithsonian Institution thought the Devil to be a prehistoric creature from the Jurassic period. Had the creature survived in nearby limestone caves? Was it a pterodactyl or a peleosaurus? New York scientists thought it to be a marsupial carnivore. Was it an extinct fissiped? However, the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia could not locate any record of a living of dead species resembling the Jersey Devil.
The search was on. Superintendent Robert D. Carson, of the Philadelphia Zoo, offered a $10,000 reward for the Devil's capture. The reward remains uncollected. Animal trainers at the Arch Street Museum in Philadelphia had their own idea. For publicity purposes, they created a Devil -- from a kangaroo painted with green stripes adding a set of false wings.
A later theory: Was the creature a sandy hill crane? The crane stands four feet high and is about fifteen pounds. It has up to an eighty-inch wingspan. Its ferocity when cornered is well documented and it gyrates when flying.
The Devil's form has been suggested to be the blending of human and devil, as are gothic gargoyles. Devil lore began in the region about 1735 shortly after Ben Franklin's fictitious story in the Pennsylvania Gazette about a Burlington County witchcraft trial. Early folk belief was often at odds with religious or scientific doctrine of the period.
The farther north you go in New Jersey, the more benevolent the stories of the Devil become. In fact, the Devil had not been known to harm anyone or break any local ordinances. Servicemen from the Vietnam War era have said the Devil is an anti-war symbol. Comparisons have been made between the Devil, the Loch Ness Monster, and the Abominable Snowman. In 1973, he gained nationwide attention after a feature film was made entitled "The Legend of Boggy Hollow". In 1996, it was reported that Berlin-based Cosmic Comics had created a character "JD" based on the Jersey Devil who protects the environment and searches for truth.
Since the early industrial days of iron ore, southern New Jersey has seen some remarkable activity. Glass and paper manufacturing have expanded. Military complexes have been developed at Maguire Air Force Base and Fort Dix. Atlantic City and the Jersey shore have become prominent resort communities. This growth and development coupled with the emergence of a well-lit highway system have caused the Devil's appearances to be less frequent. But the legend of the Jersey Devil will not die. He has been exorcised, electrocuted, shot, incinerated, declared officially dead and declared officially foolish.
In 1939, the New Jersey Devil was reportedly named the Official State Demon. Walter Edge, twice governor of the state, was quoted as saying: "When I was a boy. . . I was never threatened with the bogey man. . . we were threatened with the Jersey Devil, morning noon, and night." Periodic sightings and theories will probably continue for generations to come. Or at least until the Jersey Devil emerges from the mists of the Pine Barrens himself to tell us his own story.
Researched by:
Carol Johnson and David Munn, Atlantic County Library
About 30,000 years ago, the Paleo-Indians came across Siberia to the Seward Peninsula in Alaska and moved south, spreading over the entire hemisphere. According to Lenape folk tradition, one group of these peoples moved eastward to the Atlantic seaboard. The Lenape came to descend from this group.
The name Leni-Lenape has a variety of translations: "original people", "real people" and "common people". The name by which the Lenape are best known, however, was given to them by the English settlers in the middle seventeenth century. The English named the bay and river on which they settled after Sir Thomas West, the third Lord de la Warr. In time, the original inhabitants along the shores of the "Delaware" River and its tributaries became known as the "Delawares".
There were three Indian groups: the dominant Lenapes, the Mohegans of Long Island and the Nanticokes of the Delaware and Chesapeake Peninsula. The Lenape were one of many nations belonging to the great Algonkins. The early Lenape were a loose confederation of independent communities. They lived mainly in the Delaware River Valley and land west that separated the Delaware and Susquehanna watersheds. The Delaware River was their domain; their council-fire was at Shakamaxon located in what is now Philadelphia. New Jersey was called "Scheyechbi" or long land water referring to the shape of the state. The Atlantic coast was called "Zeewanhacky" meaning place of sea fans or shells.
The Lenape were a migrating people. In the spring, they planted their gardens in their home villages where they cultivated corn, squash, beans, pumpkin and tobacco. In the summer, they hunted and traveled to the shores for clams and oysters. In the fall, they went back to their villages for their harvest. In late fall and early winter they migrated to the Pennsylvania woods to hunt again. In February, when the sap began to run, they moved to set up the sugar to boil. Then, they migrated back to their villages for spring planting.
The Lenape were a deeply religious people and their belief in a Creator and eleven lessor Gods reached all aspects of their lives. They believed that all things had souls. This reflected a deep reverence for their natural environment and a concept that they were only a small part of Nature's grand scheme. This belief made it difficult for them to understand the concept of land ownership and purchase.
In the Spring of 1524, Italian navigator, Giovanni da Verrazzano sailed into New York harbor. According to his notes, he found the area "well peopled, the inhabitants.. . dressed out with feathers of birds of various colors. They came towards us with evident delight raising shouts of admiration".
In the early days, the first English settlements in New Jersey were founded by the Quakers who made it a point to purchase title to the land from the Indians. They endeavored to prevent traders from taking advantage of the natives through their early laws. Those laws, however, were difficult to enforce. One of William Penn's greatest achievements was his fair dealings with the Indians. He held their loyalty for many long years. In this book, "William Penn's own account of the Lenni Lenape", Penn discusses the matriarchal structure of their society and their religious and moral beliefs. Like many of his contemporaries, Penn believed that the Lenape descended from the Lost Tribe of Israel.